Dust in the Wind
by Carol
Summary: Pain and loss follow the Winchesters even in the Old West…Dean loses a special friend…spoilers for Frontierland…hurt!angsty!Dean


**Dust in the Wind**

**By Carol M.**

**Summary: Pain and loss follow the Winchesters even in the Old West…Dean loses a special friend…spoilers for Frontierland…hurt!angsty!Dean**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them, only love them**

**Note: This story takes place in a universe where Castiel was not able to retrieve the boys from the Old West in time during Frontierland and they are now stuck in 1861. I may write some more stories in this 'verse if the mood strikes. This particular piece is very angsty cuz I'm in that mood, so you've been warned. Sorry Dean.**

**Enjoy!**

For Dean, it had been love at first sight.

When it became clear that Castiel wasn't going to pick up Dean and Sam from the wild, wild west on schedule, the brothers realized they might have to settle in and get comfortable for awhile, at least until Castiel and Bobby found some other way to get them home. Comfortable included an abandoned cabin just outside of town and some wheels, which in this case, meant horses.

Sam already had his horse, which had gotten him to Samuel Colt's house and back in one piece. He'd named the dependable horse Bones.

Dean had gone to the stable to pick up his own vehicle. It took all of two seconds to find the perfect one. The horse was a jet black stallion with a shiny coat that reminded Dean of the Impala. He'd instantly forked over three gold necklaces for the horse and named him Hans. They'd been inseparable ever since.

That had been three weeks ago and Hans had already gotten him out of a few jams. Dean spoiled the horse rotten with fresh apples and carrots and brushed him and shared a drink with him almost every night. They were best buds.

Now, Hans was galloping at a breakneck pace alongside Bones, the horses speeding across a mountainous gulley as Dean and Sam tried to ditch a pair of demons bent on taking the Colt from their possession.

"Come on Hans, let's lose these bastards in hyperspace!" Dean shouted as he and Sam led the horses towards a cave they had demon proofed for instances just like this one.

Sam pulled slightly ahead and headed into the cave, desperate to keep the gun, which was tucked in his side pack, away from the bad guys. He made it inside the cave and dismounted his horse just in time to see the demons right on Dean's and Hans' tail. One of the demons flashed him a smile before raising his hand ominously in the air and pointing it at Hans.

"Dean, look out!" cried Sam as he scrambled for the Colt.

Dean dared to turned around and saw the black eyed demon practically breathing down his neck. He gave the reigns a flick and charged ahead, merely feet away from the opening of the cave.

But Dean and Hans weren't fast enough.

The demon flicked his wrist and Hans' ankle snapped with a sickening crack. The horse let out an atrocious scream as he stumbled and fell towards the rocky ground.

Dean tried to hold tight to the reins, but his forward momentum along with the sudden impact against Hans was too great, causing him to lose his grip and go flying through the air towards a cluster of three giant boulders.

"No!" screamed Sam as he managed to whip out the Colt and shoot down the two demons while his brother was still flying through the air.

Dean barely had time to get his arms up to protect himself before he impacted. His ribs and side took the initial shock and Dean swore he felt the bones explode inside of him before the jarring collision stole all of his air. His arm hit next, the force of the rock snapping the bone like a twig. His head was the last to hit. The momentum had slowed down thanks to the bracing from the other parts of his body, which probably saved his life. Still, he caught his forehead on a pointed rock that smashed against his brain and left an impressive gauge down the side of his face.

Dean's limp body sluggishly rolled off the rock and he landed with a weak oomph on the ground, his bones broken, his insides mashed and his skin torn and matted with blood.

"Dean!" Sam put away the gun and sprinted towards his brother.

Dean groaned and tried to sit up, but he was too weak and hurting too much to have any sort of success. His vision was blurring in and out, threatening to go dark and a nauseous fire had settled into his belly. He swallowed and breathed through his nose, trying to ignore the pain and remain conscious.

"Dean," Sam muttered, softer now as he approached his brother. He immediately rested his hand on Dean's stomach, carefully wisping his other hand over Dean's broken arm and the scrape and knot on his head. "Easy, you're okay."

"Hans," Dean gasped and tried once again to sit up. Sam kept his hand firmly on Dean's belly, the pressure enough to keep the older hunter in place. "Whoa, whoa, stop, dude, just take it easy."

"Sammy, go check on Hans," Dean pleaded, using his good arm to give Sam a tiny push.

"Dean, your hurt pretty bad…we gotta get you…"

"No...m'fine…cuts and bruises, few fractures. I'll heal. Please, Sam…if he's…bad…don' want him suffering."

Sam sat back on his haunches and caught his brother's eye, seeing the worry and pain but also the stubborn determination reflecting back at him. He knew he wasn't getting his brother anywhere until he took care of the Hans' situation.

"Okay," Sam said, absently petting Dean's stomach before standing up. "But you stay here. Don't try and move."

Dean swallowed thickly and shut his eyes, still fighting with consciousness as he settled his body deeper into the ground. "Whatever."

Sam glanced at Hans' ankle and knew almost immediately that the horse was down for the count. It lay on its side, panting in pain much like his brother was. He knelt down next to Han's head and petted him. "It's okay, boy. Good horse. You're such a good horse."

"How is he?" Dean muttered, his voice crackling with pain.

Sam stood up and walked back over to his brother. "Ankle's shattered."

Dean bit back a wave of nausea, feeling like he wanted to cry. "Damn it."

"Sorry bro."

"You gotta take care of it, Sam. Put him out of his misery."

Sam sighed and after a minute nodded. "Yeah."

"Get me up," Dean urged, making a move to sit up again, his arm clutched tightly against his injured side.

"Whoa, stop, man, come on." Sam tried to push his brother back to the ground, but Dean resisted with a loud grumble. "Damn it, Sam, he's not dying alone! I gotta hold his ha…hoof while you flip the switch."

Sam could see that it was taking Dean everything he had to remain upright and get over to the horse. Dean's face was deathly pale with pockets of sweat breaking out on his forehead and above his lip and Sam could feel his brother trembling against the pain and exhaustion that was creeping into his body.

Still, Dean remained upright and half crawled, half shimmied over to Hans with Sam's help until he was able to clutch one of Hans' uninjured hooves.

"Good boy, Hansy," Dean muttered, giving the hoof a tender squeeze. "Good boy. You're the best horse ever. Knew it the second I laid eyes on you."

Sam reached for a gun from his holster and pulled it out, slowly aiming it towards Hans. Dean caught his eye and nodded, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"Good boy, Hans. Such a good boy," Dean muttered breathlessly, Hans matching his whimpers of pain.

Sam hesitated for the briefest of moments, flashing a look of sympathy at his brother. "Dude, I'm really sorry about this."

"Damn it, Sammy, just do it," Dean griped, his voice almost breaking.

Sam swallowed hard and nodded. He aimed the gun at Hans' head and fired.

Dean couldn't help but flinch, his jaw clenching like a rock against his cheek as Hans went completely still.

It was done.

Dean hung onto the horse's hoof awhile longer before finally letting it go. "I'm so sorry, Hans."

Dean's vision wavered again and he couldn't fight the wave of vertigo that overtook him. He fell forward, his body collapsing against Hans, wishing he could join him.

**That's All Folks!**


End file.
